


The Shepherd

by justanoutlaw



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Episode: s01e22 A Land Without Magic, F/M, Secrets, Truth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14121510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: How David told Snow the truth about his identity.





	The Shepherd

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a post asking about when Snow found out that David wasn't James and I feel like this is a common Snowing question, so here's my take on it.

Sometimes, David forgot that he had a secret he kept from Snow. She normally called him “Charming”, but then there were the times that she slipped and called him James. There was the confused look she got when he referred to George by his name, rather than “Father”. They were getting married and they were going to take the kingdom back from them…it meant she needed to know.

 

Even if it meant losing her.

 

That night at the camp, he settled next to her on the log, putting their hands out in front of the fire. “Are the dwarfs sleeping?”

Snow chuckled. “Can you not hear Grumpy snoring from the tent?”

“I guess not.” He bit his lip. “Being engaged…it means we shouldn’t have any secrets.”

She tilted her head. “Well, I would hope we didn’t.”

“There’s something that I haven’t told you, but it was more for your own safety than anything.”

“How is there something that I need to be protected from? Have you met me?”

“I have.” He took her hands into his own, bringing them up to his lips to kiss. “It’s just…I’m not the real Prince James.”

She pulled away from him, edging away a bit. “Then…who are you?”

“My name is David. I grew up on a farm towards the edge of the kingdom.”

“I am so confused.”

“When my mother gave birth to my brother and I, she couldn’t afford to keep us both. So, Rumpelstiltskin showed up and made her a deal. If she gave George one of us, he’d make sure that our farm could make it through the winter. We were sick, she didn’t have much of a choice.”

“So…what happened to the real James?”

David chewed hard on his lip. “From what I can tell, he didn’t have the best upbringing. He got too cocky and tried to fight a dragon, only it killed him. We had never met…I didn’t even know that he existed until then. Rumpelstiltskin showed up at the farm and said that George would help us again, so long as I fought the dragon. So…I did. But once I had, he wanted me to marry Abigail and said if I told anyone he’d kill me, my mother and anything that I loved.”

 

Snow stared at him, tears in her eyes. For a moment, he wondered if she believed him or if she did, knowing that he wasn’t truly a prince would make her want to walk away. Instead, she moved closer and cupped his cheek.

 

“I am so sorry about your brother,” she whispered. “I lost my parents, I know it’s not easy.”

“I never knew him.”

“Still, you shared a womb.”

David blinked away his own tears, forcing back the grief he always carried for his brother. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just had to protect my mother and I knew if George knew that you did, he could hurt you.”

“I get it, I do. Just promise me no more secrets.”

“I promise.”

She kissed him, keeping her hand on his cheek. “Let’s defeat George, so you and your mother can reunite.”PF


End file.
